The Beauty of Ascension Thursday

Baldassare Franceschini, Ascension – in the National Gallery of Art, DC

We’re in a season of really beauty… it’s not just the Washington is ablaze with roses, irises, and peonies.It’s not just the broad smiles and easy laughter of college grads moving on to great things… It’s also a holy season.We’ve just concluded the great cycle that began way back at the beginning of December with the first Sunday of Advent.That flowed into Christmas, Epiphanytide, the preparation for Lent, Easter, and now finally, Ascension and Pentecost.And these last two really do shine to match the natural beauty of the world around us.

I propose three ways in which the Ascension may be called beautiful: superficially, philosophically and theologically…

At Ascension Jesus rises Body and Soul into the glory of heaven, finally returning to the Father… and bringing with him something new, our humanity.On the face of it, we may well say, “Wow, bright light, clouds, angels, how beautiful!” And we’d be right.But there’s more!

Ascension participates in the classical philosophical definition of things objectively beautiful.It is marked by three classical categories: Integrity, Consonance, and Clarity.Integrity – Ascension is the fulfillment of all Jesus prepared us for.He had to leave to complete his mission.He alludes to this in the Last Supper discourses in John (ch. 14 and 15), and said as much overtly to Mary Magdalene: Jesus said to her, “Stop holding on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am going to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.” (Jn 20:17).Consonance – Jesus Ascension works not only within itself, but also in conjunction with all that came before and after it.The Ascension fulfills Prophecy and corresponds with everything the the Apostolic age that followed.It is a harmonious or consonant part of salvation history.Finally, the Ascension is marked by clarity… by which we mean it is radiant, warming us and calling us to change are selves for its sake.You see, the Ascension of Jesus finally means that the Church is his remaining Mystical Body on earth.The Church is now called on to live his ministry: Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes in me will do the works that I do, and will do greater ones than these, because I am going to the Father. (Jn 14:12)

The Ascension’s beauty is also seen in what it accomplishes as part of theology.The event marks a very real beginning to what theologians call “recapitulation,” that process by which Jesus presents redeemed Creation to the Father… and the first thing to be presented is our humanity, restored by his divine presence.It’s the beginning of him presenting the Church, Christ’s bride, to the Father as St. Paul suggests in Ephesians (5:27): that [the Lord] might present to himself the church in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.A fallen world restored and presented to its Creator as worthy once more of heaven… Beautiful.

Up next…a few thoughts on the beauty of Pentecost and the divine music it initiates.